A new initiative launched by the Bath & North East Somerset Faith Foundation is providing free books to local schools.

The organisation, which promotes collaboration and partnership-working between different faith groups, wants to ensure that every school in the district has access to text books and scripture from a range of religious traditions.

The foundation's Director, Nathan Hartley, said: "In our ever-changing global world, it's important that children and young people have a basic understanding of a range of religious traditions. In modern Britain it's rare that we'll go through life without meeting at least one other person from a different cultural background from ourselves.

It's because of this that we want to ensure that schools in our area, whether in their libraries or Religious Education lessons, have access to text books from a range of spiritual backgrounds."

This week, the organisation has launched its 'Bhagavad Gita for Schools' programme. The Bhagavad Gita is a key scripture in the Hindu tradition, with its contents believed to have been first orally spoken around 5,000 years ago in northern India. 

The book is a conversation between Krishna (God) and Arjuna (his disciple) about the nature of the soul, the link between humanity and divinity and provides a moral code for how people can live their lives.

"Inspired by the Christian charity 'Bibles for Children', which has distributed half-a-million Bibles to children in 2,300 schools since 1997," added Nathan, "our aim is ensure that every school throughout the region has a copy of the Bhagavad Gita."

The foundation has its first 300 copies in stock, ready for distribution. Schools, teachers and educational leaders can order free copies for students by emailing the Bath & North East Somerset Faith Foundation at [email protected]

The Bath & North East Faith Foundation was established several years ago to:

• Support, encourage, and strengthen the work of faith groups across the district.

• Act as a conduit between faith groups and public bodies in ensuring they have a voice and have representation on issues that matter to them.

• Carry out research into socio-religious trends in Bath, Somerset and the wider area.

• Run community engagement projects with faith (and non-faith) groups

• Organise events that promote social inclusion, learning and understanding